HP Strategic IT Advisory Services

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The Holmes Report Canadian Public Relations Agency of the Year

 

 

 

 

 

HP Technology Consulting Services Help Clients Align IT Strategy with Business Goals

 

 

 

PALO ALTO, Calif., April 25, 2011 – HP today announced HP Strategic IT Advisory Services designed to help chief information officers (CIOs) use IT as a key driver of innovation, growth and profitability.

HP Strategic IT Advisory Services help CIOs: 

  Build an IT strategy: Clients collaborating with HP gain greater insight to develop an IT strategy that aligns with business goals to meet the changing demands of their customers and citizens.  

  Innovate business services: Clients create technology-empowered business services, using techniques such as a hybrid delivery strategy and business benefits analysis, which are specifically tailored to meet and respond to the needs of the clients’ organizations. This includes insight on how cloud computing, enterprise architecture or service management contributes to the success of their enterprise strategies. 

The success of CIOs is increasingly being evaluated against enterprise objectives.

Analyst firm Gartner Inc. indicates that most external assessments of enterprise value and viability will include explicit analysis of IT assets and capabilities. In addition, new revenue generated each year by IT will determine the annual compensation for most new Global 2000 CIOs.(1)

“Our research shows that by 2016, innovation accomplishments will be among the top three selection criteria for new CIOs,” said Ken McGee, vice president and fellow, Gartner. “This trend is indicative of the extent to which IT will be so closely aligned with enterprise goals that it is the key driver in growth and profitability. To get to this future state, IT must move from supporting to empowering the enterprise.”   

“When CIOs are measured against enterprise objectives, they look for partners to help them craft and implement their technology strategy,” said Arthur Filip, vice president and general manager, Technology Consulting, HP. “HP Strategic IT Advisory Services fill the gap between business and technology consulting by putting clients on the path to deliver enterprise objectives through technology.”

HP Strategic IT Advisory Services deliver:  

  IT strategy and transformation: HP works with clients to deliver a comprehensive IT strategy and a transformation plan that details technology and capability requirements.

  Strategic service management: HP brings unique intellectual capital based on thousands of engagements to help clients deliver IT as a service in support of their business processes.     

  Enterprise architecture: HP provides clients the insight needed to develop an end-state architecture vision and establish a roadmap to deliver integrity, assurance and governance. 

  Business value of IT: Working with clients, HP collects relevant data associated with IT processes and assigns a value to it that justifies introducing new technologies or making changes to existing technology strategies.

  Cloud business readiness: HP collaborates with clients to establish the strategy and business case for implementing a shared services environment by determining the most effective combination of traditional, private cloud and public cloud delivery models.

  Mergers and acquisitions: Clients can engage with HP to plan and execute IT integration and realize technology synergy plans.  

HP Strategic IT Advisory Services are available through HP Technology Consulting. Pricing varies according to location and implementation. More information is available at www.hp.com/services/SITAS.

HP Strategic IT Advisory Services are important components of the Instant-On Enterprise. The Instant-On Enterprise embeds technology in everything it does to serve customers, employees, partners and citizens with whatever they need, instantly.

HP’s premier client event, HP DISCOVER, takes place June 6 - 10 in Las Vegas and Nov. 29 - Dec. 1 in Vienna, Austria. The event showcases how organizations can get started on their Instant-On Enterprise journeys. 

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure at the convergence of the cloud and connectivity, creating seamless, secure, context-aware experiences for a connected world. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

(1)    ”Gartner Scenario: Current States and Future Directions of the IT Industry,” Gartner Inc., 2011.

 

 

Editorial Contacts

Stacey Hoskin, HP

+1 816 429 6477

stacey.hoskin@hp.com

 

Erin Hall

Burson-Marsteller for HP

+1 312 596 3457

erin.hall@bm.com

 

HP Media Hotline

+1 866 266 7272

www.hp.com/go/newsroom

 

 

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance or market share relating to products and services; any statements regarding anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the competitive pressures faced by HP’s businesses; the development and transition of new products and services (and the enhancement of existing products and services) to meet customer needs and respond to emerging technological trends; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the achievement of expected operational and financial results; and other risks that are described in HP’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2011 and HP’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2010. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

 

© 2011 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

 

 

 

 

Logicalis: VDI Is the Future of the Desktop

 

Logicalis: VDI Is the Future of the Desktop

Solution Provider Offers Resources to Help You Determine when

a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure is the Right Choice

 

Who:  Logicalis, Inc., an international provider of integrated information and communications technology (ICT) solutions and services based in Farmington Hills, MI, has made it easier to see what a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) can mean for your business.

 

What:   To help prospective clients as they consider VDI for their own organizations, Logicalis has developed a series of tools to provide a great starting point for enterprise clients considering VDI for their organization. These tools include technology guidance on VDI and what it can do for your company, a briefcase discussion that includes an examination of VDI service offerings, two feature articles providing a thorough look at both VDI and server virtualization, a dedicated microsite that explores every aspect of VDI, and an expert podcast on VDI.

 

Where:

·         Technology Guidance: Get Logicalis’ expert opinion about important VDI issues here:

-       “Five Reasons Your Next Desktop, Notebook or Tablet Will Be Virtual” - http://www.us.logicalis.com/it-news-and-events/news/five-reasons-vdi.aspx

-       “Special Report: Snowmaggedon Got You Trapped? Can’t Work? Time to Think About VDI” - http://www.us.logicalis.com/it-news-and-events/news/snowmaggedon.aspx

·         Briefcase Offering: Take a look at a Logicalis discussion on VDI service offerings here: http://www.us.logicalis.com/pdf/VDI-Readiness-Assessment.pdf

·         Feature Stories: Read two Logicalis feature stories here:

-       “Virtual Desktop Gets Real” -  http://www.us.logicalis.com/pdf/VDI-Feature-Story.pdf

-       “Virtual Game Changer,” which includes information on both server virtualization and VDI - http://www.us.logicalis.com/pdf/virtualization-feature-story.pdf

·         Microsite: Explore Logicalis’ dedicated VDI Web site which includes a discussion on hard cost savings, ease of management, centralized backup, and productivity gains, here: http://www.us.logicalis.com/vdi.

·         Podcast: Hear an expert discussion on VDI from from Jeff Nessen, Logicalis’ practice director, platform virtualization solutions, here:

.

 

Quote:  “If you’re wondering what the future of the desktop will be, it is VDI.  There are a myriad of reasons that a virtual desktop infrastructure makes sense – there are of course hard cost savings and productivity gains to be made; but there is also the ease of management in a virtualized environment; centralized backups that ensure safety of data; and regulatory compliance, an important reason to look at VDI when preserving the integrity of your data is a critical business factor.  VDI will make a significant impact on the desktop of the future, but it’s not right for every user in every situation.  The key is to talk to experts and find out what VDI can do for you.” –  Jeff Nessen, practice director, platform virtualization solutions, Logicalis

 

Media Contacts:  Lisa Dreher, VP, Marketing & Business Development, Logicalis, Inc., lisa.dreher@us.logicalis.com; 425-201-8111; http://www.us.logicalis.com/  or Karen Franse, Communication Strategy Group for Logicalis, kfranse@gocsg.com; 866-997-2424, http://www.gocsg.com.

Twitter:Follow us to keep up-to-date with @Logicalis.

 

About Logicalis

Logicalis is an international provider of integrated information and communications technology (ICT) solutions and services founded on a superior breadth of knowledge and expertise in communications & collaboration; data center; and professional and managed services.

 

Logicalis Group employs over 1,900 people worldwide, including highly trained service specialists who design, specify, deploy and manage complex ICT infrastructures to meet the needs of over 5,000 corporate and public sector customers.  To achieve this, Logicalis maintains strong partnerships with technology leaders such as Cisco, HP, IBM and Microsoft.

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Deutsche Telekom, Nokia Siemens Networks give wings to e-learning

 
    Nokia Siemens Network
 


 
Press Release
Munich, Germany – April 26, 2011
 
 
Deutsche Telekom, Nokia Siemens Networks give wings to e-learning
Demonstrate e-Education initiative over LTE in digital dividend spectrum
 
Deutsche Telekom and Nokia Siemens Networks have jointly demonstrated the extended benefits of Long Term Evolution (LTE)* in the 800 MHz spectrum as a means of reaching out to students in far-flung, rural schools. The ‘Flying Classroom’ initiative** is the brainchild of Nokia Siemens Networks’ Corporate Social Responsibility program, enabling students to take part in video calls and share education tasks remotely with teachers and partner schools.
 
Deutsche Telekom established an LTE connection with the G.-E.-Lessing-Gymnasium ‘European Grammar School’ in Doebeln village, and the network was fully supplied and integrated by Nokia Siemens Networks. At the Gymnasium, the vendor has equipped a ‘Flying Classroom’ with several PCs that use video conference software to engage remotely with students and teachers in partner schools. With PCs and Smartboards interlinked, students can work simultaneously on documents. LTE technology has made instant, high-quality video communication possible between the students and teachers.
 
“LTE offers a wide range of possible uses via ultra high-speed broadband and this ‘Flying Classroom’ shows the wonders of LTE technology in enabling a new level of e-Education,” said Guido Menzel, senior vice president, Fixed Mobile Engineering at Telekom Deutschland GmbH.
 
“LTE technology can offer broadband connectivity to take e-Education to the next level, helping reach the broader objectives of society,” added Hermann Rodler, managing director of Nokia Siemens Networks in Germany. “Above all, we are happy to be part of an initiative that fits so well into our corporate social responsibility programs.”
 
LTE technology uses a flat, IP-based network infrastructure to offer ultra-fast data transmission and makes instant browsing and downloads possible, thanks to its reduced latency.
 
In 2010, Nokia Siemens Networks supplied LTE hardware and software with extensive services to the operator to ensure rapid, high-quality rollout of its LTE network in Germany.
 
 
About Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of telecommunications services. With its focus on innovation and sustainability, the company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, as well as professional services including consultancy and systems integration, deployment, maintenance and managed services. It is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world. Operating in 150 countries, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland. www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
 
Talk about Nokia Siemens Networks’ news at http://blogs.nokiasiemensnetworks.comand find out if your country is exploiting the full potential of connectivity at www.connectivityscorecard.org
 
 
Media Enquiries
 
Nokia Siemens Networks
Daniela Ridder
Communications
 
Media Relations
 
Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom AG
Corporate Communications
 
 
 
Notes to editors
* Nokia Siemens Networks is leading the commercialization of Long Term Evolution (LTE) in terms of commercial references and live network performance according to a third party consultancy firm. LTE is the next-generation mobile broadband technology and the evolutionary step from GSM, WCDMA/HSPA/HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, CDMA and WiMAX networks. It delivers the best broadband user experience and smart device services in an efficient way due to increased data rates, reduced latency and scalable flat all-IP network architecture. Nokia Siemens Networks has shipped its LTE-ready Flexi Multiradio Base Station to over 200 operators. In addition, it was the first to make an LTE call using commercial hardware and standards-compliant software in 2009.
 
Nokia Siemens Networks is leading the commercialization of LTE in terms of commercial references and live network performance verified by an independent company. According to the latest information from GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association), 18 operators worldwide have already launched commercial LTE networks. Nine out of these 18 operators use Nokia Siemens Networks’ LTE networks – Deutsche Telekom in Germany; Elisa in Finland; NTT DOCOMO in Japan; Tele2 in Sweden; Telia in Sweden; TeliaSonera in Denmark and Finland; EMT (TeliaSonera) in Estonia; and Verizon Wireless in USA (SMS over LTE and Voice [Simultaneous Voice over LTE]).
 
Nokia Siemens Networks has commercial LTE deals with 34 operators including 28 radio/17 Evolved Packet Core (EPC)/1 IMS for LTE deals. Among the company’s 34 commercial LTE deals are Agri-Valley Communications in USA (radio, EPC); Deutsche Telekom in Germany (radio); Elisa Finland and Elisa Estonia (radio, EPC); LG U+ in South Korea (radio); LightSquared (national LTE network including 40,000 base stations) in USA (radio, EPC); Mobily (Etisalat) in Saudi Arabia (radio, EPC); Mosaic Telecom in USA (radio, EPC); NTT DOCOMO in Japan (radio, EPC); SK Telecom in South Korea (radio); Tele2 in Sweden (EPC); Telecom Italia (radio); Telefónica O2 in Germany (radio); Telenor Denmark (radio); Telia in Sweden, TeliaSonera in Denmark and Finland and EMT (TeliaSonera) in Estonia (radio); TMN Portugal (radio and EPC); Verizon Wireless in USA (IMS for LTE) and Zain Bahrain (radio, EPC).
 
We are conducting LTE trials with 25+ customers around the world including Aircel in India, China Mobile in China, Chunghwa in Taiwan, KPN in the Netherlands, M1 in Singapore, MegaFon in Russia, Optus in Australia, SFR in France, Telefónica O2 in the Czech Republic and Spain, Telstra in Australia, TMN in Portugal, Vodacom in South Africa and Vodafone in Italy.
 
An LTE performance drive test by Signals Research Group on a Swedish commercial live LTE network confirmed that the overall results achieved in the Gothenburg network (supplied by Nokia Siemens Networks) were better than those achieved in the Stockholm network (supplied by another vendor). For more information about the performance of Nokia Siemens Networks’ LTE offering, please refer to an independent report from Signals Research called ’Signals Ahead LTE Drive Test Revisited - Part 1’, which is available hereor on the Nokia Siemens Networks internet page.
 
Nokia Siemens Networks’ Single RAN including the Flexi Multiradio Base Station provides a future-proof, easy and cost-efficient path to LTE in both FDD and TDD spectrum bands via a simple software upgrade. Besides the Single RAN that supports GSM, 3G, FDD-LTE and TD-LTE, the company’s LTE telecom infrastructure offering also features the Evolved Packet Core, including Flexi NS (Network Server) and Flexi NG (Network Gateway), transport solutions, network management system, Self Organizing Networks (SON), the award-winning Voice over LTE (VoLTE), provisioning and charging solutions and a range of professional services to plan, install, maintain and operate networks. For more information, please click here.
 
** The ‘Flying Classroom’ project started with a school that teaches disabled children who need to be hospitalized for long, periodic treatments. Tele-education or remote learning where teachers sitting in the classroom can impart lessons to students at home via their laptops has enriched the school’s activities. Today, the project has extended in scope to enable high-speed internet connectivity via LTE in the 800MHz spectrum for schools in rural areas of Germany, allowing students to work on joint projects with other partner schools located outside the country.
 
 
 
Nokia Siemens Networks
Media Relations
PO Box 1
FI-02022 Nokia Siemens Networks
 

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Nokia Siemens Networks, Karaportti 3, Espoo, NA 02610 Finland

Royal Wedding Malicious Search Term Results - Info from Norton


Good afternoon,

 

While Prince William and Kate Middleton are busy preparing for the biggest day of their lives, some unexpected guests – cybercriminals – are looking to “crash” the wedding with online scams designed to take advantage of the public’s interest in the event.

 

Internet security company Norton today released a list of poisonous search terms resulting from the upcoming nuptials. The top five malicious search terms include:

 

-          Royal wedding time

-          Royal wedding gown sketches

-          Royal wedding ceremony details

-          Royal wedding date

-          Royal wedding official merchandise

 

Norton also found a number of malicious search terms related to “Princess Diana”. Watch out for the following phrases:

 

-          princess diana death photos

-          princess diana biography

-          princess diana exhibit kansas city

-          princess diana wiki

-          princess diana wedding

 

Your friends at Norton want to remind Royal Wedding enthusiasts to take proper precautions when searching for news on the wedding. Here are some best-practices you could share with your readers:

 

·         Think before you click – Beware of emails or links that promise “leaked” footage, offer “scandalous” pictures, or purport to have “secret” information. Cybercriminals take advantage of sensational and shocking headlines to get you to click on links that could infect your computer

 

·         Go with what you know - While any site could potentially be risky, it’s best to avoid clicking on sites you’ve never heard of that show up in your search results. Stick to the official royal wedding website or go directly to reputable news sites to get the latest news and videos of the wedding

 

·         Protect your computer – Use trusted security software on your computer to block threats and make sure you’re keeping it up-to-date. Use  Norton Safe Web Lite and Norton Safe Web for Facebook – free, downloadable tools that identify risky sites before users click on them in search results and on their Facebook news feeds

 

Please let me know if you’d like me to connect you with a Norton spokesperson who can provide you and your readers tips on how to stay clear of cybercriminals.

 

Regards,

Elana

 

Elana Ziluk

Account Coordinator | MAVERICK Public Relations

(416) 640-5525 x 243 | 37 Madison Avenue | Toronto | M5R 2S2

w: maverickpr.com | t: MAVERICK_PR

Websense Invites you to The State of Internet Security - Ottawa, May 12th

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Join Patrik Runald from Websense Security Labs for an interactive session on the state of Internet security.

 

Want to embrace the social Web, get better security and lower your TCO? Make sure you join Websense in Ottawa

If you thought Websense was just about Web Filtering then you're in for a huge surprise. Designed to combat blended attacks that leverage social media, we've combined Web, email, and DLP security technologies into a single, unified content security solution. We call it Websense TRITON.

Featuring unified management, analytics and the flexibility to deploy as an appliance, in the cloud or even both, no other security company comes close.

Image removed by sender. Register

This event promises a condensed shot of what's new and important in the world of security, including:

  • how the threat landscape has changed and what to expect in 2011;
  • a look at TRITON: the world's first and only unified content security solution
  • how our deployment options reduce costs and make your life easier;
  • a chance to see our new Websense Email Security Gateway;
  • DLP for the e-mail and Web channels – an easy stepping stone to enterprise-wide data security.

You will also have the opportunity to network with your peers--many of whom are long-standing Websense customers.

These events are intended for IT Security Managers, IT Managers, CISOs and other IT professionals with a security remit.

Reserve your place!

OTTAWA LOCATION:

Westin Ottawa
11 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 9H4
Canada

Agenda

8:30 am – 9:00 am
Registration and Breakfast

9:00 am – 10:30 am
Presentation

10:30 am - 11:00 am
Q&A and Prize Draw


Register your attendance
Space is limited

If you have any questions about this event, please contact: kswail@websense.com

 

 

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Conexsys Communications | 6715 Millcreek Dr. | Suite 5 & 6 | Mississauga | L5N 5V2 | Canada

 

OpenText Provides Social Collaboration software for Canada 3.0 2011 Forum

Social Networking Collaboration at Canada 3.0 Powered by OpenText

OpenText to Provide Secure Social Networking for Canada’s Premier Digital Media Event

Waterloo, ON. — April 21, 2011 — OpenText (NASDAQ: OTEX, TSX: OTC) will provide a social networking platform to connect attendees and presenters before, during and after the Canada 3.0 2011 digital media forum www.canada30.ca being held in Stratford, Ontario May 2-4. The social networking software is the same solution that OpenText provided for delegates at both the Toronto and Korea G-20 Summits held in 2010 (http://www.opentext.com/2/global/press-release-details.html?id=2437) and now customized for the Canada 3.0 forum.

“As a Platinum sponsor of the Canada 3.0 2011 forum and major proponent of digital media progress in Canada, OpenText is pleased to provide a social collaboration tool that will make connecting attendees, presenters and other subject matter experts easier and more efficient,” said Eugene Roman, Chief Technology Officer at OpenText.

OpenText’s Social Workplace solution opentext.com/otsw will be accessible from mobile devices on-site, linking more than 3,000 past and new attendees and enabling them to share ideas and converse with presenters from the conference. Participants can access the OpenText application from their BlackBerrys, iPhones and iPads at http://talk.canada30.com/login.

The social collaboration software will ensure that attendees have at their fingertips everything they need to get the most out of the Canada 3.0 forum, including access to the agenda, room locations, subjects and speakers in the eight sector tracks, and more. Most importantly, the secure social media platform will enable participants to not only collaborate onsite, but to stay connected once the digital media forum concludes.

“Given the issues of security and privacy related to consumer-grade social networking tools, OpenText developed a platform with enterprise-strength security controls,” said Roman. “Our Social Workplace software offers better ways for people to connect and share information so they can be more effective and productive.”

Roman will be leading the Public Sector stream, sponsored by OpenText, at Canada 3.0 and will be compiling outcomes to present at the conclusion of the forum. OpenText will also have a major presence in the Interactive Showcase area of the forum showcasing the latest ECM solutions. Tom Jenkins, OpenText Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer, who is also Chair of the Advisory Board for the Canadian Digital Media Network, will be among those officially welcoming attendees to the forum.

Canada 3.0 is Canada’s premier digital media event organized annually by the Canadian Digital Media Network, and brings together industry, government, public sector and academic communities of interest with the common goal of advancing Canada’s competitiveness in digital media. The forum focuses on a goal called the Moonshot by which anyone in Canada can do anything online by 2017, Canada’s 150th birthday.

Follow OpenText on Twitter @OpenText and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/opentext.

About OpenText

OpenText, a global ECM leader, helps organizations manage and gain the true value of their business content.  OpenText brings two decades of expertise supporting 100 million users in 114 countries.  Working with our customers and partners, we bring together leading Content Experts™ to help organizations capture and preserve corporate memory, increase brand equity, automate processes, mitigate risk, manage compliance and improve competitiveness.  For more information, visit www.opentext.com.

Canadian higher education sector faces critical technolo

 

Canadian higher education sector faces critical challenges, as
institutions around the world head into debt for first time; Deloitte
unveils top 10 most pressing issues facing post-secondary educational
institutions

TORONTO, April 19, 2011 - Spending on Canadian higher education is
coming under increasing pressure. As nations around the world work to
recover from the global financial crisis, they are tightening their
budgets, leaving fewer funds available to the educational sector. As
well, market weakness has reduced the value of many of the endowments
educational institutions rely on and private donations have declined.
Yet at the same time, the costs of doing business are on the rise.
According to a new report by Deloitte, as financial conditions
deteriorate, Canadian tertiary institutions can no longer maintain the
status quo, but must radically transform the way they do business in
order to survive economic hardships and meet the educational needs of
the future.

"As funding dries up, some universities are heading into debt for the
first time," says Louise Upton, Canadian Higher Education Leader,
Deloitte Canada. "This is constraining dollars for classroom delivery
and research, creating tension among different departments for scarce
financial resources."

According to the report, Making the Grade: A study of the top 10
issues facing higher education institutions, Canadian colleges and
universities, along with their international counterparts, are facing
competitive pressures as they confront shrinking resources and
increased business demands. For starters, deferred maintenance is
catching up with campuses with aging infrastructure badly in need of
upgrades. The costs of attracting and retaining high-calibre faculty
are on the rise as staff retire in increasing numbers. Furthermore,
colleges and universities are under ever more scrutiny and compelled
to invest in systems that provide the highest levels of transparency
and accountability.

"The business landscape has changed and Canadian educational
institutions are now finding that they must meet a host of costly
demands just to stay competitive," says Upton. "In addition to
developing and maintaining state-of-the-art campuses, competing
internationally to attract top students and professors, and meeting
new transparency requirements, the new generation of students now
expects user-friendly, self-service administrative options as well as
access to the latest technologies."

"However, these unprecedented and combined challenges create a unique
opportunity for transformation. Educational institutions willing to
think laterally can position themselves to outperform into the
future," Upton explains further.  "To succeed, Canadian higher
education institutions must take a good, hard look at their organizing
principles. Ultimately, the most successful players will be those who
remain open to fundamental changes in management practices and support
their decision-making with a sound, forward-looking business case."

The top 10 issues Canadian higher education institutions will face in
the coming year

To help higher education institutions take a forward-looking approach
to their strategic planning in the face of these new challenges,
Deloitte Canada, in consultation with Deloitte education practitioners
from around the world, has identified the top 10 issues that will
prove the most pressing in the coming year:

1.       Over budget and under-funded: As funding declines, cost
management is key - When the global financial crisis hit, the
education sector was disproportionately affected. Private schools, as
well as public institutions that rely on private investment, saw the
value of their endowment funds fall as declining markets took their
toll. This affected many private donors as well, who lost either the
ability or will to invest significant sums within the industry. At the
same time, regulations limiting tuition fee increases are making it
harder for many institutions to establish their own pricing and
restricting them from delivering on their mandates.  Most notably,
however, government budget challenges are leading to reductions in
higher education spending around the world. In Canada in particular,
the proportion of federal funding to the sector fell from 80% of
universities´ operating revenues in 1990-91 to 57% in 2007-08. Beyond
simply cutting budget allocations, governments are also taking a more
hands-on approach in the funding approval process. Rather than
providing funding upon student enrolment, governments like Canada´s
are examining linking funding to the number of students retained to
graduation. Therefore, as operating margins shrink, higher education
institutions must find new ways to cut costs without sacrificing
services.

2.       The rivalry intensifies: Competition to attract the best
students heats up - Top-tier institutions rarely have difficulty
attracting students, but the same cannot be said of most second- and
third-tier schools. The economic climate is partly to blame, as
students shy away from higher-tuition private and market-funded
institutions. However, other factors are also at play. Demographic
trends in many developed nations have resulted in declining enrolment
in elementary schools, which will ultimately affect enrolment levels
at higher education institutions. International competition also plays
a role by siphoning off the best students of many countries. As the
rivalry intensifies, higher education institutions must find ways to
gain a competitive advantage by differentiating themselves in an
effort to attract top students as well as research dollars and top
faculty. "To avoid brand erosion, higher education institutions must
get very clear on their strengths and weaknesses," explains Upton.
"They need to assess if they play on a global, regional, national or
local stage. They need to decide if they plan to specialize in
specific degrees or student segments. Rather than offering a bit of
everything, organizations must identify the key areas of expertise
that can best support future growth."

3.       Setting priorities: The danger of making decisions in the
dark - Educational institutions operate in environments that are
frequently not conducive to stark business approaches. In the area of
budgeting, decisions are often made democratically as opposed to
strategically. Extra money frequently goes to the stakeholders who
bring it in, rather than being deployed to the areas of greatest need.
Institutions are slow to phase out programs that no longer meet
evolving student needs or to introduce new programs that lack a proven
track record. As well, high degrees of organizational fragmentation
and decentralization also prevent various departments from working
together towards common goals or to realize improved operational
efficiencies. To succeed into the future, institutions must invest in
data mining, financial analysis and IT systems that can help them
identify optimal service delivery models and ensure they align to
student needs. As well, they must rationalize redundant programs,
evaluate the continued relevance of costly ones and ensure their
curricula keep pace with market changes. And they must look for ways
to enhance their core competencies and outsource the rest.

4.       Moving at the speed of cyberspace: Technology upgrades are
needed across the board - While stakeholders across the campuses all
have different needs, they expect access to equivalent levels of
service. For faculty, this translates into a need to access critical
information seamlessly. For students, it manifests in the growing
expectation for integrated services, such as one-stop enrolment,
web-based interaction and the ability to access educational support
online. Although higher education institutions understand these
requirements, aging technology systems make it exceptionally difficult
to deliver on these promises. In many cases, back-office systems used
to manage student information, finances and HR are outdated, hampering
organizational ability to streamline the student enrolment process,
realize cost efficiencies or hire staff-and even schools that have
invested in new technology in recent years often are not leveraging
its full capacity. Moreover, schools that have not yet embraced online
forms of communication -including Facebook and Twitter -are losing a
critical opportunity to build student loyalty and cement long-term
relationships. Finally, in addition to system upgrades, higher
education institutions must also respond to the growing demand for
web-based training. Beyond lowering the costs of delivering education,
reducing infrastructure demands and offering programs to higher
volumes of students, this type of online education could have positive
implications for declining enrolment.

5.       Rethinking infrastructure: A renewed focus on asset
optimization - When endowments seemed endless and financial security
assured, many institutions committed significant resources to
expanding their campuses. Yet much has changed since the economy
shifted. As the value of endowments declined, institutions were forced
to scale back on their capital expansion plans or halt them entirely.
Schools that already built new facilities are now struggling to pay
ongoing operating and maintenance costs. And even those that did not
build are grappling with the consequences of deferred maintenance,
particularly as their facilities, technology, equipment and campuses
continue to age. As Upton states, "In the wake of the global financial
crisis, higher education institutions must explore new ways to reduce
their infrastructure costs. This involves more than addressing their
deferred maintenance fees or converting properties to multiple uses.
It requires a wholesale assessment of how they can use their assets
more effectively."

6.       Linking programs to outcomes: Where training and market
demand intersect - In countries around the world, there has long been
a distinction between university education and vocational training.
Yet, despite their reputational challenges, vocational schools may be
trumping universities in one of the most critical performance metrics:
post-graduate employment. This means higher education institutions
must take steps to design programs that align with marketplace demands
and employer needs. It also means they must engage in more focused
research and analysis in an effort to correlate their educational
offerings with their students´ ability to secure gainful employment.
As students and parents increasingly come to assess degrees based on
the economic value they confer, institutions will need a way to
demonstrate the practical outcomes of the programs they offer.

7.       The best and the brightest: Attracting and retaining talented
faculty - Despite the critical role of faculty, many higher education
institutions lack a solid strategy for attracting and retaining
talent, measuring performance and enhancing teaching quality. Given
these trends, higher education institutions may find themselves facing
a critical talent gap in the near future, and must develop focused
talent management strategies designed to help them become employers of
choice within the sector at large.

8.       A sustainable future: Enhancing environmental performance -
Public scrutiny, media attention, regulatory mandates and ongoing
student demands continue to exert pressure on organizations to improve
their environmental performance. This is starkly highlighted by the
release of the annual College Sustainability Report Card, published by
the Sustainable Endowments Institute. After assessing 322 U.S. and
Canadian universities and colleges, the Report Card "grades" each
school´s sustainability practices. The comprehensive report reviews
performance across 52 indicators in nine categories: Across
organizational lines. Institutions that earn top marks must generally
do more than reduce their carbon emissions and improve energy
efficiency. They also need to examine a range of non-traditional
practices, such as managing a campus garden or farm, introducing
trayless dining, composting organic waste, incenting students to
reduce water and electricity use, introducing bicycle-sharing programs
and constructing green buildings.

9.       Education for all: Tackling diversity, accessibility and
affordability - While very few issues cross social, cultural and
geographic lines, access to education is one of them. In countries
around the world, governments and citizens grapple with the challenge
of educating hard-to-reach students, particularly those who struggle
with income disparity, have an illness or disability, live in remote
communities or are members of disenfranchised ethnic groups. For
instance, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada views
increased Aboriginal access, participation and success in higher
education as a national priority. However, in most cases, universities
and colleges are not equipped to resolve these issues on their own and
government assistance and regulation tend to go a long way towards
making education more accessible. While simple solutions may not
exist, access to education remains a critical issue that should impel
institutions to design programs that best meet their unique
constituencies.

10.   Regulations and reporting: New responsibilities require better
disclosure - In the wake of the international market meltdown,
governments around the world have been stepping up industry oversight
by flexing their regulatory muscles. In light of these new
responsibilities, many institutions find themselves struggling to
comply with an increasingly complex disclosure environment. However,
to meet growing expectations in this area, institutions will need to
do more than simply comply with the letter of the law. If they hope to
differentiate themselves in an increasingly crowded marketplace, they
will need to invest in more sophisticated information systems that
allow them to track and report their performance across the criteria
of greatest interest to each of their stakeholders.

Obtain a copy of the report

For a more detailed discussion of the issues facing higher education
institutions in the coming year and potential response strategies, the
full report is available at www.deloitte.com/ca/higher-education.

About Deloitte

Deloitte, one of Canada's leading professional services firms,
provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services
through more than 7,600 people in 57 offices. Deloitte operates in
Québec as Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche s.e.n.c.r.l. Deloitte &
Touche LLP, an Ontario Limited Liability Partnership, is the Canadian
member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a
UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member
firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity.
Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the
legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member
firms.

- 30 -


------- End of forwarded message -------
Thank you,
Dave



Click here to download:
- (17 KB)

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FYI: PEER 1 Hosting Blog Post - Fear and Loathing in IPV6 Land

Good afternoon,

 

It’s Shobhita writing to you from MAVERICK on behalf of PEER 1 Hosting. Hope you’re doing well.

 

There are all sorts of questions and concerns about the switch to IPv6 from IPv4. Would the internet as we know it crumble? How will this change affect businesses? What if IPv6 addresses run out too?

 

Networking specialists at PEER 1 Hosting are spreading the word about what IPv6 is and to clarify doubts about what some are calling the “IPocalypse”.

 

I thought I would point you to the first of a series of blog posts on the topic, written by Jag Bains, director of Network Operations for PEER 1 Hosting

http://www.peer1.com/blog/2011/03/fear-and-loathing-in-ipv6-land/.

 

Let me know if you require any more information and I can certainly put you in touch with a spokesperson.

 

Best wishes,

 

Shobhita 

 

Shobhita Sharma, Account Coordinator

MAVERICK Public Relations

37 Madison Ave. Toronto, Ontario M5R 2S2

Tel: (416) 640-5525 x228

Web: www.maverickpr.com

 

 

 

http://www.peer1.com/blog/2011/03/fear-and-loathing-in-ipv6-land/
By Jag Bains,
director of Network Operations for PEER 1 Hosting

 

Fear and Loathing in IPv6 Land

 

Over the last few months, staff at PEER 1 Hosting have been coming to me and my network colleagues to understand what all the IPv6 racket was about. They were wondering if the Internet as we know it was going to crumble now that IPocalypse has come and gone. To these concerned I replied, “Time to renew your favourite magazine subscriptions, because the Internet as we know it is dead”.

 

I think the IETF hit the right balance with the 128 bits thing. We can fit MAC addresses in a /64 subnet, and the nanobots will only be able to devour half the planet.

Nanobots Cartoon Credit: http://xkcd.com/865/

 

All kidding aside, there has been a lot of confusion in trying to understand where this sudden momentum for IPv6 has come from.  There have been numerous articles, even within mainstream media, that discuss how IPv4 has been exhausted. Cautionary tales and tech sermons from the silicon mount are being delivered advising enterprises, service providers, governments–basically anyone with an Internet presence and requirement–on how they need to start incorporating IPv6 strategies into their operations. But what does that really mean? To better understand why the need for IPv6, let’s take a very quick look at world of IPv4 and the challenges it faces today.

 

Let’s kick it off at a very rudimentary level. The Internet is basically a collection of networks, interconnected and identified to each other by their unique Autonomous System Number (PEER 1 Hosting’s ASN is 13768). Each ASN has at least one Class C, or 255 contiguous IPv4 addresses, in order to be routable on the global Internet. PEER 1 Hosting has well over 1.5 million IPv4 addresses. These IPv4 addresses are provided to service providers such as PEER 1 Hosting by one of the five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), which are organizations that work together to provide technical co-ordination and management of IP addresses.

 

http://www.peer1.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/map.png
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The RIRs receive their IP addresses from the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which is the entity that oversees, among other things, global IP address allocation. If you want to see a great technical breakdown of the relationship between the RIR’s, IANA and every IPv4 address, feel free to check out this article.

So now we understand how an IP assignment from IANA makes its way down from the local RIR, to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) network, and ultimately to the end user’s desktop or server. But the big question is, “What happens now that there are no more IPv4 addresses to allocate?”

 

IPv6 to the Rescue… Sort Of

 In early February 2011, the pool of unassigned IPv4 addresses was depleted when IANA delegated the last five blocks of IPv4 address space to the five RIR’s. The RIR’s are expected to dole out the majority of these IPv4 addresses to carriers before the end of 2011. What the rate of IPv4 exhaustion will be within each carrier will vary from one entity to the next. Some models like mobile broadband are running out faster than others, but it is safe to say that most companies won’t have a surplus to last them any significant time.

 

Fortunately, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) were prescient enough to know that the 4.3 billion IPv4 addresses were not going to be enough over time, and developed the RFC for IPv6 back in 1996 to address this shortage. The RFC called for a new numbering scheme that allowed for 2128 addresses (as opposed to 232 ). With over 340 undecillion IP addresses in IPv6 (340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456 for those of you that were curious), IP resource exhaustion is not going to be a concern anytime in the foreseeable future as it was for IPv4.

 

Ipv6 is so large, in fact, that hexadecimal is needed to represent the size of allocations within IPv6. This larger address schema not only allows for many more devices and users on the Internet, but it also provides extra flexibility in allocating addresses and efficiency for routing traffic in comparison to IPv4. The designs for IPv6 also brought in additional capability in comparison to IPv4, notably:

 

·         Multicast – IPv6 forgoes on the idea of a traditional broadcast address and uses a link local address and rendezvous point addresses, allowing for great flexibility in creating inter-domain multicast groups. This has huge potential for video streaming strategies.

·         Stateless Address AutoConfiguration (SLAAC) – IPv6 hosts can auto configure themselves in a routed IPv6 network using ICMPv6. This can be very useful to large cable/DSL network that have multiple hosts constantly being added and removed from their networks

·         Embedded support for network security – IPSec, the authentication and encryption of each IP packet, has been back engineered in IPv4, but it was originally developed in the designs for IPv6.

·         Packet design – IPv6 redesigned the way the headers (similar to your mailing address with special instructions) are built to make the addition of custom headers/instructions efficient and scalable.

Using the same model of delegation as IPv4, organizations have been procuring IPv6 address space and formulating game plans on how to implement into their networks. Staying in step with the network world, technology manufacturers have also been incorporating IPv6 capabilities into their server operating systems, firewalls, load balancers, and other various Internet products for the last 5-8 years. It’s safe to say that most network and server farm environments now have enough capability to run IPv6 services. The question now is: how are they going to implement it?

 


(download)

Consolidating IT infrastructure saves Toronto-based company 35%

 

I thought you might be interested in an advance copy of tomorrow’s release surrounding Toronto-based Payment Solution Providers (PSP).  As you are all aware, businesses must constantly adapt to meet 21st century challenges. Today’s infrastructure must adapt to tomorrow’s challenges and for many businesses, change is imperative.  

Tomorrow,  IBM will announce that PSP is consolidating its entire IT infrastructure on the IBM System z mainframe server with IBM information management software to support key business operations such as credit card processing and payment switch technology.

 

As a result, PSP expects to improve operating efficiencies and lower IT costs up to 35 percent.  The IBM mainframe will also support new business opportunities for PSP’s card processing business, allowing the company to grow and expand.

 
According to PSP, its previous HP, Oracle infrastructure "simply couldn’t support our growing business. By teaming with IBM, we are actively pursuing new clients and opportunities, confident that our technology can keep pace and hold operating costs to a minimum. Further, selecting the IBM mainframe gives PSP instant credibility with potential clients thanks to its well-known security and reliability.”

PSP's choice shows the continued vitality of the mainframe in a highly competitive server market. In the fourth quarter of 2010, System z mainframe revenue increased 69 percent  -- the highest ever in a quarter -- and was a big part of 22 percent growth in IBM's systems business.  In the year of IBM's Centennial, the mainframe remains an important business for IBM.

Please let me know if you are interested in speaking with PSP about its decision to move its business on to the mainframe.

 

Cheers,

 

Deborah
416-355-7425

 

 

 

Payment Company Selects IBM Mainframe to Support Key Business Operations
Payment Solution Providers Expects to Save up to 35% in IT costs with IBM System z and DB2 Software over HP servers with Oracle databases  


   
ARMONK, NY and TORONTO, ON -- April 19, 2010 -- IBM today announced that Payment Solution Providers (PSP) is consolidating its entire IT infrastructure on the IBM System z mainframe server with IBM information management software to support key business operations such as credit card processing and payment switch technology. In addition, PSP expects to improve operating efficiencies and lower IT costs up to 35 percent.
   
PSP is an 11-year-old Canadian corporation and a recognized industry leader in business consulting, smart card solutions, e-payment networks and the integration of financial transaction processing systems. The company selected the IBM mainframe to run PSP Atlantics Payment Switch technology and offer it to clients as a licence or cloud service. The IBM mainframe will also support new business opportunities for PSP’s card processing business.

 
The rollout of an HP and Oracle infrastructure lacked the security PSP required, making it difficult to comply with the banking industry’s PCI compliance standards. In addition, PSP was using separate servers for each of its customers’ development, production and availability requirements. As a result, PSP anticipated having a sprawling, inefficient infrastructure that would take up too much space and rack up excessive costs for IT management, power and cooling and software licenses.
   
The company wanted to grow its business in North America and selected the z10 Business Class mainframe with tightly integrated IBM z/OS and DB2 software to support the development of new business channels for card processing. PSP will use the new technology to offer banking customers worldwide PSP’s Atlantics Payment Switch Technology as a license or cloud service that will allow them to rapidly support Europay,
MasterCard® and Visa® (EMV) “chip card” or smart card transactions. PSP will also use Atlantics Switch Technology for its own PSP Card Services card processing division in North America.
   
“The HP, Oracle infrastructure simply couldn’t support our growing business,” said Danny Gurizzan, executive vice president of operations, Payment Solution Providers (PSP). “By teaming with IBM, we are actively pursuing new clients and opportunities, confident that our technology can keep pace and hold operating costs to a minimum. Further, selecting the IBM mainframe gives PSP instant credibility with potential clients thanks to its well-known security and reliability.”
   
The mainframe with DB2 provides PSP the 99.999% availability needed to support its payments business, which includes solutions for secure transaction processing, issuing credit cards and ATM transactions. PSP also selected IBM technology for its ability to support PCI compliance with highest level security and its unmatched scalability. By running on the IBM System z mainframe, PSP’s Atlantics Payment Switch can process up to 5,000 transactions per second (TPS). This ensures PSP has the transaction power needed to meet spikes in demand in its PSP Card Services division created by holidays like Christmas.
   
The IBM System z mainframe server will allow PSP to dramatically simplify its infrastructure and lower IT costs per customer transaction by reducing the number of servers needed as well as costs associated with power and cooling, database licensing, administrative staff and compliance.
   
“Leading edge, innovative businesses such as PSP are increasingly consolidating business critical workloads from HP and Oracle on to IBM System z,” said Greg Lotko, vice president of IBM System z. “System z delivers unsurpassed efficiency and real business advantage. Its reliability, availability and security allows clients to pursue new business opportunities while realizing superior IT economics.”

 

Deborah Boyce
Account Executive
+1 416 355 7425

Ketchum. Passion and Precision in Communication.
A proud partner of Room to Read; World Change Starts with Educated Children ®
Our goal is to reach more than 10 million children by 2015.

PRNews 2010 Large Firm of the Year and a Best Place to Work in PR

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

 

 

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Canadian higher education sector faces critical technology challenges: Report unveils top 10 most pressing issues

Good Morning,

 

Today Deloitte Canada, in consultation with Deloitte education practitioners from around the world, launched a report that identifies the top 10 issues that will prove the most pressing in the coming year to post-secondary institutions. The report uncovers some interesting story angles in terms of the critical challenges the Canadian higher education sector now faces, including much-needed upgrades to back-office systems, use of online communications, and investments in web-based training.  As nations work to recover from the global financial crisis, and as post secondary institutions around the world head into debt for first time, the business landscape has changed and Canadian educational institutions must meet a new host of costly demands just to stay competitive.

 

According to the report, Making the grade: A study of the top 10 issues facing higher education institutions, Canadian colleges and universities, along with their international counterparts, are facing new competitive pressures as they confront shrinking resources and increased business demands. Canadian post secondary institutions can no longer maintain the status quo, but must radically transform the way they do business in order to survive economic hardships and meet the educational needs of the future.

 

The top 10 issues Canadian higher education institutions will face in the coming year include:

1.       Over budget and under-funded: As funding declines, cost management is key

2.       The rivalry intensifies: Competition to attract the best students heats up

3.       Setting priorities: The danger of making decisions in the dark

4.       Moving at the speed of cyberspace: Technology upgrades are needed across the board

5.       Rethinking infrastructure: A renewed focus on asset optimization

6.       Linking programs to outcomes: Where training and market demand intersect

7.       The best and the brightest: Attracting and retaining talented faculty

8.       A sustainable future: Enhancing environmental performance

9.       Education for all: Tackling diversity, accessibility and affordability

10.   Regulations and reporting: New responsibilities require better disclosure

 

Louise Upton, Canadian Higher Education Leader, Deloitte Canada and co-author of the report is available for interviews to provide a detailed discussion of the issues, and insight into what institutions can be doing to address these challenges. We can also provide a copy of the report upon request.

 

I look forward to your feedback on this important story.

 

Thank you,

Heather

 

Heather McCulligh
Associate
Broad Reach Communications
C| 613.797.8949  F| 416.480.0209   
broadreachcommunications.com

 

Canadian higher education sector faces critical challenges, as institutions around the world head into debt for first time; Deloitte unveils top 10 most pressing issues facing post-secondary educational institutions

TORONTO, April 19, 2011 — Spending on Canadian higher education is coming under increasing pressure. As nations around the world work to recover from the global financial crisis, they are tightening their budgets, leaving fewer funds available to the educational sector. As well, market weakness has reduced the value of many of the endowments educational institutions rely on and private donations have declined. Yet at the same time, the costs of doing business are on the rise. According to a new report by Deloitte, as financial conditions deteriorate, Canadian tertiary institutions can no longer maintain the status quo, but must radically transform the way they do business in order to survive economic hardships and meet the educational needs of the future.

 

“As funding dries up, some universities are heading into debt for the first time,” says Louise Upton, Canadian Higher Education Leader, Deloitte Canada. “This is constraining dollars for classroom delivery and research, creating tension among different departments for scarce financial resources.”

 

According to the report, Making the Grade: A study of the top 10 issues facing higher education institutions, Canadian colleges and universities, along with their international counterparts, are facing competitive pressures as they confront shrinking resources and increased business demands. For starters, deferred maintenance is catching up with campuses with aging infrastructure badly in need of upgrades. The costs of attracting and retaining high-calibre faculty are on the rise as staff retire in increasing numbers. Furthermore, colleges and universities are under ever more scrutiny and compelled to invest in systems that provide the highest levels of transparency and accountability.

 

“The business landscape has changed and Canadian educational institutions are now finding that they must meet a host of costly demands just to stay competitive,” says Upton. “In addition to developing and maintaining state-of-the-art campuses, competing internationally to attract top students and professors, and meeting new transparency requirements, the new generation of students now expects user-friendly, self-service administrative options as well as access to the latest technologies.”

 

“However, these unprecedented and combined challenges create a unique opportunity for transformation. Educational institutions willing to think laterally can position themselves to outperform into the future,” Upton explains further.  “To succeed, Canadian higher education institutions must take a good, hard look at their organizing principles. Ultimately, the most successful players will be those who remain open to fundamental changes in management practices and support their decision-making with a sound, forward-looking business case.”

 

The top 10 issues Canadian higher education institutions will face in the coming year

To help higher education institutions take a forward-looking approach to their strategic planning in the face of these new challenges, Deloitte Canada, in consultation with Deloitte education practitioners from around the world, has identified the top 10 issues that will prove the most pressing in the coming year:

 

1.       Over budget and under-funded: As funding declines, cost management is keyWhen the global financial crisis hit, the education sector was disproportionately affected. Private schools, as well as public institutions that rely on private investment, saw the value of their endowment funds fall as declining markets took their toll. This affected many private donors as well, who lost either the ability or will to invest significant sums within the industry. At the same time, regulations limiting tuition fee increases are making it harder for many institutions to establish their own pricing and restricting them from delivering on their mandates.  Most notably, however, government budget challenges are leading to reductions in higher education spending around the world. In Canada in particular, the proportion of federal funding to the sector fell from 80% of universities’ operating revenues in 1990-91 to 57% in 2007-08. Beyond simply cutting budget allocations, governments are also taking a more hands-on approach in the funding approval process. Rather than providing funding upon student enrolment, governments like Canada’s are examining linking funding to the number of students retained to graduation. Therefore, as operating margins shrink, higher education institutions must find new ways to cut costs without sacrificing services.

 

2.       The rivalry intensifies: Competition to attract the best students heats up Top-tier institutions rarely have difficulty attracting students, but the same cannot be said of most second- and third-tier schools. The economic climate is partly to blame, as students shy away from higher-tuition private and market-funded institutions. However, other factors are also at play. Demographic trends in many developed nations have resulted in declining enrolment in elementary schools, which will ultimately affect enrolment levels at higher education institutions. International competition also plays a role by siphoning off the best students of many countries. As the rivalry intensifies, higher education institutions must find ways to gain a competitive advantage by differentiating themselves in an effort to attract top students as well as research dollars and top faculty. “To avoid brand erosion, higher education institutions must get very clear on their strengths and weaknesses,” explains Upton. “They need to assess if they play on a global, regional, national or local stage. They need to decide if they plan to specialize in specific degrees or student segments. Rather than offering a bit of everything, organizations must identify the key areas of expertise that can best support future growth.”

 

3.       Setting priorities: The danger of making decisions in the dark Educational institutions operate in environments that are frequently not conducive to stark business approaches. In the area of budgeting, decisions are often made democratically as opposed to strategically. Extra money frequently goes to the stakeholders who bring it in, rather than being deployed to the areas of greatest need. Institutions are slow to phase out programs that no longer meet evolving student needs or to introduce new programs that lack a proven track record. As well, high degrees of organizational fragmentation and decentralization also prevent various departments from working together towards common goals or to realize improved operational efficiencies. To succeed into the future, institutions must invest in data mining, financial analysis and IT systems that can help them identify optimal service delivery models and ensure they align to student needs. As well, they must rationalize redundant programs, evaluate the continued relevance of costly ones and ensure their curricula keep pace with market changes. And they must look for ways to enhance their core competencies and outsource the rest.

 

4.       Moving at the speed of cyberspace: Technology upgrades are needed across the board While stakeholders across the campuses all have different needs, they expect access to equivalent levels of service. For faculty, this translates into a need to access critical information seamlessly. For students, it manifests in the growing expectation for integrated services, such as one-stop enrolment, web-based interaction and the ability to access educational support online. Although higher education institutions understand these requirements, aging technology systems make it exceptionally difficult to deliver on these promises. In many cases, back-office systems used to manage student information, finances and HR are outdated, hampering organizational ability to streamline the student enrolment process, realize cost efficiencies or hire staff—and even schools that have invested in new technology in recent years often are not leveraging its full capacity. Moreover, schools that have not yet embraced online forms of communication —including Facebook and Twitter —are losing a critical opportunity to build student loyalty and cement long-term relationships. Finally, in addition to system upgrades, higher education institutions must also respond to the growing demand for web-based training. Beyond lowering the costs of delivering education, reducing infrastructure demands and offering programs to higher volumes of students, this type of online education could have positive implications for declining enrolment.

 

5.       Rethinking infrastructure: A renewed focus on asset optimization When endowments seemed endless and financial security assured, many institutions committed significant resources to expanding their campuses. Yet much has changed since the economy shifted. As the value of endowments declined, institutions were forced to scale back on their capital expansion plans or halt them entirely. Schools that already built new facilities are now struggling to pay ongoing operating and maintenance costs. And even those that did not build are grappling with the consequences of deferred maintenance, particularly as their facilities, technology, equipment and campuses continue to age. As Upton states, “In the wake of the global financial crisis, higher education institutions must explore new ways to reduce their infrastructure costs. This involves more than addressing their deferred maintenance fees or converting properties to multiple uses. It requires a wholesale assessment of how they can use their assets more effectively.”

 

6.       Linking programs to outcomes: Where training and market demand intersect In countries around the world, there has long been a distinction between university education and vocational training. Yet, despite their reputational challenges, vocational schools may be trumping universities in one of the most critical performance metrics: post-graduate employment. This means higher education institutions must take steps to design programs that align with marketplace demands and employer needs. It also means they must engage in more focused research and analysis in an effort to correlate their educational offerings with their students’ ability to secure gainful employment. As students and parents increasingly come to assess degrees based on the economic value they confer, institutions will need a way to demonstrate the practical outcomes of the programs they offer.

 

7.       The best and the brightest: Attracting and retaining talented faculty Despite the critical role of faculty, many higher education institutions lack a solid strategy for attracting and retaining talent, measuring performance and enhancing teaching quality. Given these trends, higher education institutions may find themselves facing a critical talent gap in the near future, and must develop focused talent management strategies designed to help them become employers of choice within the sector at large.

 

8.       A sustainable future: Enhancing environmental performance Public scrutiny, media attention, regulatory mandates and ongoing student demands continue to exert pressure on organizations to improve their environmental performance. This is starkly highlighted by the release of the annual College Sustainability Report Card, published by the Sustainable Endowments Institute. After assessing 322 U.S. and Canadian universities and colleges, the Report Card “grades” each school’s sustainability practices. The comprehensive report reviews performance across 52 indicators in nine categories: Across organizational lines. Institutions that earn top marks must generally do more than reduce their carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency. They also need to examine a range of non-traditional practices, such as managing a campus garden or farm, introducing trayless dining, composting organic waste, incenting students to reduce water and electricity use, introducing bicycle-sharing programs and constructing green buildings.

 

9.       Education for all: Tackling diversity, accessibility and affordability While very few issues cross social, cultural and geographic lines, access to education is one of them. In countries around the world, governments and citizens grapple with the challenge of educating hard-to-reach students, particularly those who struggle with income disparity, have an illness or disability, live in remote communities or are members of disenfranchised ethnic groups. For instance, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada views increased Aboriginal access, participation and success in higher education as a national priority. However, in most cases, universities and colleges are not equipped to resolve these issues on their own and government assistance and regulation tend to go a long way towards making education more accessible. While simple solutions may not exist, access to education remains a critical issue that should impel institutions to design programs that best meet their unique constituencies.

 

10.   Regulations and reporting: New responsibilities require better disclosure In the wake of the international market meltdown, governments around the world have been stepping up industry oversight by flexing their regulatory muscles. In light of these new responsibilities, many institutions find themselves struggling to comply with an increasingly complex disclosure environment. However, to meet growing expectations in this area, institutions will need to do more than simply comply with the letter of the law. If they hope to differentiate themselves in an increasingly crowded marketplace, they will need to invest in more sophisticated information systems that allow them to track and report their performance across the criteria of greatest interest to each of their stakeholders.

 

Obtain a copy of the report

For a more detailed discussion of the issues facing higher education institutions in the coming year and potential response strategies, the full report is available at www.deloitte.com/ca/higher-education.

 

About Deloitte

Deloitte, one of Canada's leading professional services firms, provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services through more than 7,600 people in 57 offices. Deloitte operates in Québec as Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche s.e.n.c.r.l. Deloitte & Touche LLP, an Ontario Limited Liability Partnership, is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.

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